A. E. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. si;<) 



However, the "Pupa chrysalis" may be the same as the "Pupa, 

 an inch in length" recorded by Jones (Visitor's Guide, p. 89, 1876), 

 as found by Rev. J. B. Freer, in ISO I, near Gibb's Light. 



How so many errors could have been made it is impossible to say, 

 but some may have been due to superficial resemblances between 

 certain Bermuda species and those figured in foreign works. Others 

 may have been due to the fact that foreign shells are continually 

 brought to Bermuda by sailors and disposed of as native species, even 

 to this day. The lists of marine shells, etc., are quite as erroneous. 



Godet's list of terrestrial mammals is peculiar. He names three 

 "indigenous species" of the rat family. 1st, the "water-rat, MllS 

 amphibius" "a little larger than the conn rat." This is, with- 

 out doubt, the common gray rat. 2d, " Arvicola <<lltarius Des." (4 

 inches long, ash-colored above, white beneath, ears large, almost 

 naked). This is doubtless the common wood-rat. See above, pp. 

 712-717. :u\, " Arvicola social*'* Des., Mas gregarius L. ;" with 

 ••fur pale gray above, white underneath ; ears short, broad, almost 

 naked. About 2.1 inches long; tail, 1 inch." 



If the last were correctly described it would indicate a species not 

 recognized by later writers. I suspect, however, that the descrip- 

 tion was copied from some book describing the original foreign A. 

 SOCialis, and that the Bermuda mouse, so-called, was only the house- 

 mouse, which often runs wild in the woods there. At any rate, no 

 short-tailed mouse is now known in Bermuda. 



The scientific names of the birds in his list (pp. 193-5) are often 

 erroneous or badly misspelled, but the species can usually he deter- 

 mined by their common names. Thus t In- ( 'at -bird is called Turdus 

 merula ; the White-eyed Yireo, Virco [ Vireo] musicus ; the Tropic- 

 bird, Phrnton At/ieaus \<< thereus]. No novel observations on the 

 birds are given and his list might have been much improved had he 

 consulted those of his colleagues who were collecting and studying the 

 Bermuda birds at the same time, or the lists previously published.* 



He mentions (p. 252) two species of lizards. One of these', called 

 " Scincus nasciatt/s Holb." [fasciatus], is doubtless the well-known 

 h'unieces longirostris Cope. (Sec above, pp. 697, 698.) The other, 

 which he calls "Scincus ocellatus Da." is entirely problematical, for 



* Lists of the birds had been published by Jardine, 1849, 1850; by Tristram, 

 1850 ; by Hurdis, in Bermuda P. Almanac, 1851. (See above, p. 725.) Hurdis 

 and several others were collecting birds in Bermuda a number of years ( lN-lli- 

 1855) before Godet's book was written. J. M. Jones collected there from 1855 

 to 1860, and later, and published his "Naturalist in Bermuda" in L859, which, 

 in Natural History, is far better than Godet's work. Why Godet did not utilize 

 these available sources of information does not appear. 



